Who are you and how did you start making art? Why do you make art?

Hi! I’m Jerilyn and I’m a CHamoru and Filipino illustrator and designer based in Los Angeles, CA. I’ve always loved drawing and creating things with my hands ever since I was a child. Discovering new ways of expressing myself through art has always been fun for me—from traditional drawing, to photography and video editing, to web design and more. It took awhile for me to get back into drawing more regularly for myself as an adult but I’m glad that I was able to return to my first passion and to be on the path that I am on now.

I now make art as a way to connect with my inner child, as it’s one of the things that brings me a lot of joy and peace. It reminds me to just play. My creative journey is also tied to my wellness journey and making art is very healing for me. I create art to express myself and what I want to see more of in the world.

What do you do to get into your creative zone?

Meditating in the morning helps to set the tone for the rest of my day and it’s also a really important part of my creative practice. I also just need a clean space and I like to have a good music playlist going or sometimes a cozy show/movie playing in the background.

What is your inspiration? Or how has your personal experience influenced your creativity? 

I find inspiration by just being open and observing what’s around me or what I’m personally interested in at the time. A lot of my current work has themes in finding joy in our everyday lives, slowing down, resting, being very gentle with ourselves, and also celebrating our personal growth and individuality because those are things that I’m practicing more of in my own life. 

Also, I’m originally from Guam and moved to the states at a young age, and so I didn’t see many reflections of myself in art and media growing up. That experience continues to influence my creativity in that I naturally want to continue to challenge myself in celebrating more diverse figures in my work and create not only more reflections of people that look like me but also of others who aren’t usually able to see themselves in these spaces.

What is your most important artists’ tool, the one thing you couldn’t imagine creating without? 

My ✨🌈 imagination 🌈✨... and if we’re talking about physical items—a pencil!

How has your practice changed over the past 2 years?

I definitely focused more on developing my art style. It’s always evolving but over the last 2 years, I’ve really taken the time to do many exercises to bring out more of what I want to express in my work and then how it can translate it to different projects and licensing collaborations like this one with Wrappr!

What is your dream creative project or dream team collaboration?

That’s a good question. A dream creative project would be seeing my art on large scale campaigns, murals, and experiential exhibits with a mix of multimedia. It would be fun to see my art in a medium where other people can interact with it in a physical environment. That’s why I really love this collaboration with Wrappr, because it’s a way that my art can be used in a tangible and meaningful way.

What is the role of an artist in society?

I think it’s different for everyone but the world would be very dull without art of any kind. Artists bring more color and texture into our lives. Artists can express things and feelings with a visual language that sometimes can’t be articulated into words but can be emotionally impactful upon seeing it.

Do you have any tips or practices to share with people who are making the lifestyle shift towards zero-waste and sustainable practices? 

Start small and don’t put any pressure on yourself to be perfect. Reuse what you have when you can and find creative ways to bring life to old items. I reuse glass jars all the time to use as containers again or even putting new propagated clippings in. Easy things like that or when buying new items, being very conscious about what I’m bringing into my life and if it’s something that can be with me for a very long time and/or enhances my life in some way. Don't forget to bring your cute tote bags with you when you go out!

What is the highlight of collaborating with Wrappr for you? 

I enjoyed the creative freedom to design something that will then be on a sustainable product that can be used in many ways!

Link to website: https://www.jerilynguerrero.com/

Instagram: @jerilynguerrero

Other links: https://pages.adobe.com/stock/en/advocates/artists/jerilyn-guerrero